What lurks in the Dark
by onyxwhip
Summary: in the far north of Atlas lies Lab Eclipse. in there, creatures of gnashing teeth and writhing tentacles are created, made for killing. But one must ask, who are the real monsters here? takes place in the same world as Deviljho's Hatred Life of a Grimmborn
1. Chapter 1

_The first thing he felt was the biting cold, seeping into his skin. Opening his eyes, he could see that he was in a laboratory room, and like all infants, he let out a cry. He was picked up by metallic hands, and was placed not in the hands of a loving mother, but on a table. More figures, humans wearing lab coats began prodding him,, hooking him up to strange machines, and he could hear them speak, "vitals normal"... "pulse stable"... the newborn began moving around his limbs experimentally, and he grasped the finger of a near human. He visibilly cringed in fear, and began to use the straps on the table to restrain the infant. To his still fragile and sensitive body, the firm grip of the leather straps was rather painful, and he let out another cry. The humans, paying no heed to his wail of agony, turned around and they all stood at attention at the approach of a another human, wearing a white lab coat and a brown shirt and tie underneath, with black gloves and brown pants. He had combed back black hair with hazel colored eyes, and he walked with his hands together behind his back. One human stepped forward and addressed the man. "Dr. Mekkel sir, Subject #021 was birthed without incident, and is in satisfactory health"_

 _The man known was nodded " Excellent work all of you" Mekkel stepped forward, and looked at the infant with a prideful smirk " My newest creation.., why is 021 restrained? In its current newborn state, you all do it can't harm you?"_

 _The human who strapped down the infant shivered as he looked at 021" look at that thing.., who wouldn't restrain that nightmare?"_

 _Mekkel looked at 021 " Nightmare.. A most appropriate codename"_

 _The newly dubbed Nightmare looked at the hazel eyed man, who stared back with a smirk before leaving the same way he came, but not before saying "Take 021 to its cell located in block 1-A, to wait experimentation._

 _The humans quickly followed Mekkel's orders, moving the wheeled table through corridors and down a elevator, and into a medium sized dark room, with five lights on the ceiling,and they left him there and a automatic door closed, and Nightmare looked at his surroundings, the lights irritating his eyes. He cried out, though he only heard his echoes.._

 _Come on…_

 _CONTAINMENT BREACH…_

 _Dont let them.. AGHHHH._

 _There's too many!_

 _DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!_

HAHAHAH! Nightmare awoke with a laugh and a jump "what a dream." He walked over to the ballistic glass on the front wall of his cell, which served as his only window and mirror. Outside his cell was a observing chamber, and the door that led into the rest of the building. Looking at his reflection, Nightmare gave himself a wide grin. One glance at him, and one could tell that he was not human. He was a slender figure, and his skin was a pitch black, his eyes a black hole like void of emptyness. He had a lipless mouth, with a row of thin, long sharp teeth going in the areas where there should be cheeks,, with no nose to be seen, and from his mouth he secreted a sticky, white drool that hit the floor with a splat. On his hands he had elongated claws, on his shoulders there were a pair of tentacles that he writhed about. He stuck out a elongated tongue that could reach to the top of his forehead if he wished. He cackled once more, and his laugh was a bloodcurdling sound. He wore nothing but simple ragged pants, and he walked back to his cot, which creaked as he sat down.

A slot opened in the the wall beside him, and out came a tray of raw meat. "Breakfast time already huh?" " ugh, but i WANTED filet mignon!" Nightmare gorged himself with delight, biting the meat off the bones, and then he saw a arm. A faunus arm, due to the fin on it. "Hehehehe, at least i got faunus, and a fish one at that, my FAVORITE" The monster happily ate the faunus limb, thinking about who the arm once belonged to _"i bet this guy was minding his own business, until they snacthed him up and BAM, turned him into chow!" "_ HAHAHAHA" The creature laughed out loud, unable to contain the humor he found in the demise of the faunus. Finishing up his meal, Nightmare began walking around his cell, with a wide grin on his face and talking to himself. " so BORED, can't something interesting happen?." He received his answer, as a door opened up behind him. Grinning wider than before, he walked through the passageway" oh, what WONDERS await me"?

Dr. Mekkel sat in his office in a tower above the entire structure, in a black leather chair, in a brown colored room, and he pressed the button on his desk to answer the incoming call.

"Mekkel, we have a mission that requires one of your.. Assets" a male voice said.

" so soon after the last one?" "you must be finally realizing their potency"

"Perhaps Mekkel, and if your monster is sucessfull, i will see to it that you are rewarded with more funding"

"Please let the council know that Lab Eclipse only provides the best in Grimmborn weapons,and we-

" i know Mekkel, you've told me the same line before, but, you must must know, i am concerned with your ability to control the monsters, they are not like a gun, they can't just turn on you at any moment"

" Of course i understand any concerns, and that is the reason why we have _five_ divisions posted here correct?"

"Indeed, simply make sure to never under any circumstances, let your guard down, those things pose a threat to Atlas if they were given a chance" "now, about the mission, i have received intellegence of a White Fang base near Mihlok village, and we want it gone,"

Mekkel nodded "send me the coordinates and consider it done"

"And remember, no survivors"

The caller hung up, and Mekkel pressed a button on his scroll " brief Subject #01, we have a rat hunt"

 **So that's the intro! I know it's short, but it will get longer in the future.**

 **A shout out to Deviljho's Hatred for allowing me to use the concept of the Grimmborn! Go check out his stuff, it's top -tier.**


	2. Stirring

Alex Gray never thought he would join the white fang. He thought he would be a mining worker, like his parents were. Or some other labor job. However, once the fox faunus was saved from drunken humans when he was walking home, he felt indebted to them, so he joined up.

It was not as bad as he thought. He received a cool uniform, complete with a white grimm mask, and was issued a E-12 assault rifle, with a knife as a melee weapon. . His job was currently to guard the entrance of the White fang compound near Mihlok village, and, he made twice as much as he would have as a laborer. Looking at the compound, the concrete and metal architecture a bit rusted,and worn with a large command building at the back, with razor wire lining the top of the ten foot walls that guarded the place, he thought that it should be secure. While it may not be a top notch fortress, the pine forest the compound was located in naturally hid it somewhat. One thing that bothered him was the cold. While not below zero like the northern-middle parts of Atlas, the arctic climate still cooled the southern coastline to the point he shivered and wisps of air left his mouth when he exhaled, and his normally baise skin seemed to whiten more in reaction to the cold.

" _ugh , i wish my shift was over already so i could go inside were its nice and heated."_ Alex complained mentally.

While Alex did not want a attack to happen, he wanted some action, as guard duty was boring, standing out here, next to another guy he didn't know, hoping that time would accelerate so his shift would be over. He looked down at the watch on his arm, and it displayed 5:30 PM. Alex smiled, only a half hour to go, and could finally go back inside, and welcome the heat with open arms. Ten minutes passed, and Alex noticed a large van coming down the dirt road. " _That's odd"_ he thought, their were no scheduled arrivals today. He tensed up his grip on his white colored gun, and he and his fellow guardsmen hailed the van to stop. The driver compiled,

And the unmarked black van came to a halt in front of them he saw that the windows were tinted, preventing the faunus form seeing the occupants. His comrade was irritated at this, the muscular horned rhino faunus banged on the door "open up now!" he ordered, pointing his shotgun at the window for good measure. After five seconds of no response, Alex considered radioing this in. this could be trouble, but on the other hand, it could be nothing, and he didn't want to cause a alert for no reason. A answer was giving when the sliding door of the van opened up, revealing a dark inner space. He could almost make out a outline, like someone was in their, and this was confirmed when a glowing red lit up the darkness. Before he could react, was was struck from he thought was a fist and sent flying back. Groaning in pain, Alex looked up,

And saw a large figure in black armor, with glowing red lines and patterns on it emerge from the van, th wind causing their bone white cape to flutter in the air. His partner came around and saw the armored figure, and opened fire. However, the shells were all blocked with a large silver mace, and their assailant knocked down the rhino faunus, before, bringing the mace down with enough force to sent out a shockwave, killing him instantly. Turing their gaze toward the downed alex, the now terrified fox faunus began moving back on ground, and drew his knife shakily. "S-stay away from me! He yelled, his voice filled with fright. The figure, did not appear threatened at all, walking towards him, and alex could now get a good look at their strange eyes, from their helmet eye holes which were gray at the irises, but the rest was a deep black, but he could feel their intent. "Please.." he said weakly. The figure stopped in front of him, before uttering in a deep, froggish voice "stay still". The last thing Alex Gray saw was the figure bringing down the mace, before his world went black.

Bringing his weapon back up from the crushed skull of the faunus, he nodded to himself at the quick kill, the faunus felt nothing. He didn't want to inflict any unnecessary suffering, such things he thought were rather dishonorable. He looked at his target, the white fang compound. Swinging his mace, he walked forward, and heard white fang members, alerted to the commonation outside. Walked up the to the entrance, he jumped over the wall, the ground beneath him cracking as he landed. The crowd of white fang turned to him in surprise before opening fire he smirked under his helmet, before putting his arm foward, sending out a blast of blue thunder, causing a deafening sound as the terrorists were sent flying. They all fell all around the area, some unmoving, as the black clad man charged forward.

Zack Fodder was happy with his position as a white fang captain, and being in charge of this compound. He didn't have to put in as much work in his opinion, sure he had to manage operations, lead, command, other administrative stuff, but that sure beat labor, and constant danger in the field. Not to mention his nice heated office, and a comfy leather chair to sit on. Suddenly, he heard commotion outside, and went to his window to see what was going on. He then heard a blast of thunder that shattered the glass and forced him to cover his ears. "The hell?" he said as he got up. That was not the end of it, as he barely had time to dodge as a another blast of thunder sent a pick up truck flying tinto his office. Coughing as dust filled the air, he saw that the occupants were either dead or unconsciousness, and he could hears yells and cries from down below, with the sound of bullets, and explosions. Several buildings were set alit, with a few heavily damaged or destroyed. Pulling out his sword, he jumped down from the building, to meet whatever enemy was attacking, though he suspected huntsman. Suddenly a soldier went flying past him and crashed through the wall behind the captain, and that's when he him as the dust cleared, revealing dead soldiers all around, with craters and other forms of destruction in his wake. He carried a mace that looked a bit more like a warhammer, with a mean looking metal head, with blood and gore dripping from the weapon. His helmet, with structure on top which bore some resemblance to a crown and it's gray irses stared at him.

Zack spoke his mind when he said " Damn that!" and ran away,only for the figure to jump in front of him, with a angry glare "fight coward" he uttered pointing his mace at him. With no seen means of escape, Zack compiled "alright then COME ON!" the captain barked before running forward with his sword in both hands, desperate to kill the one who laid waste to his compound., the large man blocked with the mace shaft, before swinging the big weapon, and zack ducked and thrusted, only for the strike to be blocked again, the figure grabbed him with his free hand, before throwing the faunus into a car, the vehicle splitting from the force. Getting up in time t dodge the armored man's attack from above, causing the car to explode, but the figure didn't seem to care. Zack swung at the figure again, and he parried, and hit him in the head with the shaft, before striking Zack in the torso, sending him flying backward. Scrambling up, he jumped towards the figure, his sword in both hands, only to be blocked once more, before the armored man swung around his mace, hitting Zack multiple times, before finishing with a thunder blast. His ears rung, and his aura crackled, and zack found himself unable to get up,. The figure walked up to him, before what seemed like a respectful bow, and then spikes extended from the top of his silver mace, and stabbed it into his torso, and like Alex, his world. Faded.

The man removed his weapon from his enemies corpse, before closing his dead eyes. A worthwhile adversary. Turing back to the compound, he checked around, making sure no one was alive. After confirming no one was alive, he took out his scroll, and dialed the number. "News to report Czar?"

" Mission complete Dr. Mekkel, no survivors"

"Excellent work, Colonel Strongarm will be pleased with your performance, standby for pickup."

Czar looked up at the sky, taking in the view, the sky so much different then the ceilings of Lab Eclipse. He always took in the view when he was exposed to the outside world, and that was a reward in of itself.

Colonel Willis Strongarm read through the files in his lit office, with many filecases in the room, with papers and binders stacked neatly on his organized white office, a clock audibly ticking in the otherwise silent room. Strongarm appreciated silence, it brought a measure of peace and tranquility amiss the loud and chaotic world. Less things to worry about. The colonel was wearing a Atlas military uniform, a white and grey color scheme, with medals on his jacket that jingled around when he moved. His brown eyes read through the report, detailing yet again another white fang attack, this time on a train. Hundreds of thousands of lien in damages, which sent a scowl on the face of the white skinned man. Rubbing a hand through his black hair, he wondered when the council would realize that these parasites needed to be purged from Atlas. He saw another name in the file _Adam Taurus,_ along with a suspected female associate are believed to be responsible … the mention of that scum's name caused the muscular man to slam his fist onto his desk. " _we need them extrimated!_ He said in rageful thought. His thinking was cut short by the ringing of his scroll. " Yes Mekkel?"

" i am pleased to report that the white fang base was eliminated, none survived the onslaught of number 1"

Strongarm grinned, pleasured the the scum were dead "excellent, and as promised, your funding has been increased"

"However, i trust your beast was cooperating completely?"

"Indeed, in fact number 1 Czar is one of the more… reasonable grimmborn we have"

" Hpmh, regardless, always be vigilant, i have other business to attend to, i will contact you later, goodbye" Strongarm said as he hung up. Strongarm looked at another file named team DUNE. Opening it up, he rubbed his chin " perhaps i should involve them.."

Sitting up, the brown haired teenager cracked his knuckles. He had a muscular build, with light yellow eyes. Changing into his navy colored tactical armor, with brown boots, he checked his scroll, his eyes widened as he read the email, before it turned into a wicked smile. He began to wake up the redhead girl in the bed next to his own who groaned as she said " why so early Dredge? Class doesn't start until-

"This isn't about class" Dredge said," wake up the rest of the team, and i will explain"

After his team was changed, Dredge stood proud in front of them before explaining why he so rudely interrupted their sleep.

" all right DUNE, i got a email from Colonel Strongarm"

" our weapons professor? A lithe girl wearing a Blue- green leather cuirasses with a gray coat and a white mouthless noh mask with a jurgasa hat said.

" correct Umbra, and he has a offer for us. He wants us to meet with him in his office now"

The red headed girl, with light brown skin and a athletic build with her hair now braided and wearing a orange jacket with blue jeans rolled her purple eyes " why so damn early?"

"Why so lazy Natalie ?" Umbra countered, causing everyone except Natalie to chuckle.

"Cuz some of us value our sleep" Natalie retorted.

Halting the argument before it started, Dredge clapped his hands together in order to gather his team's attention " alright, we don't want to keep Strongarm waiting, lets be on our way" Dredge gestured for his team to follow him, and the fourth member of DUNE, a shorter boy with freckles and glasses, with a green shirt and black sweatpants, walked up to him ' S-so what do you think is gonna happen?" he said meekly. "Dunno Earl, hopefully a surprise"

They made their way throughout Atlas academy to Strongarm's office. After coming in, the Colonel gestured for DUNE to take seats. " so professor, what offer did you drag us out here for?" Natalie asked.

" something you and your team would find very interesting miss Deca." " i am offering to all of you to take part in a… special program"

"Special, you say? Said Dredge.

Strongarm nodded" i looked over your teams file. You all are in the top percentile for first years, and i see much more potential, which is why i have considered you all for the Praetor program, were you will receive special training and the like for exclusive missions.

" What kind of missions?" Umbra questioned.

" Miss Myre, the chance to crush Altas's enemies"


End file.
